Opera hits the high and low notes of love
On Wednesday, Boston Midsummer Opera makes its local debut with ``The Marriages of Mozart," a staged production incorporating scenes from three operatic collaborations between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte : ``Così fan tutte ," ``Don Giovanni," and ``Le nozze di Figaro ." The focus is on the highs and lows of romantic love, and the cast includes two married couples: Kelly Kaduce and Lee Gregory , and Jami Rogers and Kevin Anderson .
Company artistic director Drew Minter spoke recently from his home in the Catskill Mountains about the production.
Q. Several opera companies are based in or regularly visit Boston. What is special about Boston Midsummer Opera?
A. It's a three-point mission. One is to make opera accessible and available and not very expensive to an audience that perhaps doesn't normally come to opera. . . . Then there's an outreach piece of it: There are several school groups coming. . . . And then the third piece is to be a vehicle for New England's regional [Metropolitan Opera National Council ] winners.
Q. How does this company balance accessibility with artistry?
A. We're hiring the highest level of singers. And they're young, so they don't really have the diva quotient going on. The raw talent level is really high, and they're really willing to work with the director. . . . I mostly work with students. I have done professional work, but frankly it's a lot more interesting for me to work with young singers, it really is. You can get a real esprit de corps and an ensemble acting approach.
Q. A version of ``The Marriages of Mozart" was presented in 2004 at the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire. What can we expect that we didn't see from you two years ago?
A. The human beings are different! . . . It's not so much about the production. It's really much more performer-driven. That's actually part of our mission statement, to make it a forum for the singers.
Q. These three operas are very different. ``Così" is a lighthearted tale of duped fiancés, ``Figaro" is a little more serious, and ``Don Giovanni" is not exactly comic, not exactly tragic, but it ends badly.
A. I've chosen to dwell on the aspect of marriage and the relationship between men and women, and the contentiousness of romantic relationships, as Mozart saw it: the depth of the love, but also the quickness with which the characters jump to jealousy at the drop of a hat. . . . There's pretty broad comedy because that's just what he shows all the time -- you know, it's just people, men and women not understanding or trusting each other. He shows that in all three operas.
Q. It's ironic, because Mozart's artistic maturity was coincident with his own marriage.
A. Absolutely. But Da Ponte, on the other hand, was this life of contradictions. He was a priest and a profligate. He was also a shopkeeper. He was so European, so Venetian, but ended his life in New York. The guy is really crazy. It's interesting that they ended up working together.
Boston Midsummer Opera presents "The Marriages of Mozart" Wednesday, Friday, and Aug. 6 at the Tsai Performance Center, Boston University. 617-227-0442, www.bostonmidsummeropera.org.
